JP2014506669A - Sensor heater, heated radiation sensor, and radiation detection method - Google Patents

Abstract

A heater (15) for the sensor (10) includes a substrate (20), a conductive heating structure (21) on the substrate (20), and the heating structure (21) outside one or more of the sensors (10). One or more connections (28) for electrical connection to the terminal (14). The substrate (20) is a rigid substrate and includes ceramics, preferably alumina ceramics.
[Selection] Figure 1

Description

  The present invention relates to a sensor heater, a heated sensor and a radiation detection method according to the preamble of the independent claim.

  A radiation sensor is a sensor that converts radiation into an electrical signal. This conversion is often not direct, but is indirect in that incident radiation is converted to a temperature that rises due to absorption, and this temperature, or the resulting temperature change, causes an electrical signal. Thus, of course, since the intensity of the incident radiation is relatively low, the temperature change is also relatively weak, so the signal is also relatively weak. Incident radiation (radiation to be detected) can be primarily infrared radiation with a wavelength greater than 800 nm.

  In the past, great effort has been spent on such sensors to minimize the effects of thermal noise superimposed on the intermediate temperature signal generated by incident radiation. The first step in minimizing thermal noise is to isolate the radiation sensitive parts as much as possible from the natural environment to avoid short circuiting the intermediate temperature signal to thermal ground. Thus, the sensing portion of the radiation sensor is typically held on a thin film that has little thermal mass supported by a frame-like substrate. The substrate has a relatively high thermal mass and can be considered a thermal ground. The sensing portion can then be positioned on the membrane remote from the substrate.

  The thermopile has a cold junction and a hot junction, and the incident radiation is detected by a temperature difference generated between the hot junction and the cold junction by the incident radiation. Incident radiation is directed towards the hot junction so that the hot junction is heated above ambient temperature, while the cold junction is maintained at ambient temperature and does not receive incident radiation, thereby detecting the required temperature. Differences can occur. In thermopile sensors, the cold junction is often thermally connected to the substrate as a thermal ground to maintain the temperature at ambient temperature. However, the hot junction is usually only held by a membrane that is remote from the substrate or frame. Since the membrane is thin, its mass is almost zero and its heat capacity can be ignored. And, except for ambient gas and ambient air, the sensing part is separated from direct contact with the natural environment having a high heat capacity. This achieves the first result of thermally stabilizing the radiation sensor, especially when the sensor is in thermal equilibrium (constant and equal ambient temperature).

  However, since the ambient temperature of the sensor may change, a thermal equilibrium state is not always obtained. During use, the ambient temperature of the radiation sensor often changes rapidly. For example, in an air-conditioning application, the air flow passing by a sensor changes its temperature almost immediately, for example, from 17 ° C. to 27 ° C. when the command value changes. If the ambient temperature changes, the internal temperature of the sensor element itself will also change before reaching thermal equilibrium again. A change in ambient temperature causes a temperature change from the outside to the inside of the sensor. Then, heat conduction due to the circulation of ambient air and gas and through the membrane is also a recognizable cause of thermal noise, especially in thermopile sensors, when the temperature change is different at the hot and cold junctions. It can be said that the temperature difference is generated not by the radiation of the detection target but by the time difference when the temperature change reaches the hot junction and the cold junction. Until the thermal equilibrium state is reached, the measurement results can again be somewhat uncertain.

  In order to minimize this effect, the thermopile cold junction is also placed on the membrane away from the support and the substrate so that the thermal coupling between the hot junction and the cold junction can be made equal to some extent. The time difference between changes in the ambient temperature to reach the hot junction and the cold junction is reduced.

  In order to further reduce the effect of changes in ambient temperature, it has been shown that the effect of changes in ambient temperature on the sensor output signal can be reduced by dynamically preheating (preheating) the sensor in a predetermined manner. Yes. Figures 7a and 7b are taken from the prior art of sensor heating.

  FIG. 7a shows the drawing of US Pat. No. 6,626,835. FIG. 1 of this document shows a sensor element 71 housed in a casing 72 and directly attached to a radiation transmission window 79. A heating element 73 is provided at a connection portion between the window portion 79 and the casing 72. FIG. 5 of this document shows the sensor element 20 provided on one surface of the casing bottom 72, and a heating element 73 is provided on the other surface of the casing bottom 72.

  FIG. 7b shows the drawing of International Application No. PCT / US2009 / 061842. FIG. 3 of this document shows a heating resistor 73 attached to a heat shield 75, which houses the sensor. FIG. 7 of the same document shows a radiation sensor housed in a thermal shield 75, and a heating element 73 is thermally coupled to the sensor 72.

  A disadvantage of the known sensor heating structure is the difficulty of mechanical and / or electrical and / or thermal coupling between the heater and the other structures of the sensor. In addition, known methods using heated sensors consume relatively high energy, which is particularly disadvantageous for devices powered by batteries.

  Preferably, the present invention provides a heater that can be easily mechanically, electrically and thermally connected to a sensor to be heated. More preferably, the present invention provides a sensor having an easily attachable heater, and optionally provides a detection method using a heated sensor with reduced power consumption.

  Preferably, these goals are achieved by the features of the independent claims. The dependent claims relate to preferred embodiments of the invention.

  In a first aspect, the present invention provides a heater with a resistive electrical heating structure that is held in a shape by a certain carrier or substrate, the heater electrically connecting the heating structure to the outer terminal of the sensor. Having a connection part for connection. In such a configuration, the heater can be easily coupled to the sensor to be heated, mechanically, electrically, or thermally.

  The heater may include a rigid substrate that may be plate-shaped, and a heating structure is formed on the rigid substrate. The heater may be an independent device that can be separately attached to the sensor before or after final assembly of the sensor. The heater substrate may exhibit a shape that matches the surface of the sensor equipped with the heater on at least one side.

  The heater substrate has through holes or recesses through which the external sensor terminals can pass or pass by the heater so that direct electrical contact with at least one of the external sensor terminals can be established. Can be prepared.

  The outer shape (plan view outline) of the heater substrate may be the same as the plan view outline of the sensor equipped with the heater.

  The heating structure may be a printed conductive pattern or line that may constitute an elongated conductor having a desired overall resistance. This can be formed from a conductive paste. The conductor can meander over the substrate surface depending on the desired pattern for heating and thus covering the desired location on the surface. One or both ends of the meandering conductor can be directly connected to the outer terminal of the sensor.

  The heater may comprise a circuit, in particular a control circuit. The control circuit may comprise a terminal for receiving a temperature signal from a temperature sensor or a temperature sensor provided elsewhere, in particular a temperature sensor in the radiation sensor. The control can be forward control or feedback control.

  The material of the conductive heating structure has a practically constant resistance to temperature (less than 5% change in the nominal operating temperature range) or increases with increasing temperature (positive temperature coefficient ( PCT: Positive Temperature Coefficient)).

  The sensor may be formed as a housing and may have solderable wiring extending outward from one surface of the housing, or may be solder bumps or conductors on one or more surfaces. It may be a surface mounted component (SMD) having a pad.

  In yet another aspect, the present invention provides a method for detecting radiation from an object, the method comprising preheating the sensor, wherein the preheat target temperature is a temperature or temperature range that is lower than the predicted temperature of the object. And / or a temperature or temperature range defined as a temperature higher than the ambient temperature of the sensor.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a first embodiment of the present invention. 2a and 2b are schematic views of some embodiments of the heater. FIG. 3 is a schematic sectional view of the sensor. FIG. 4 is a schematic circuit diagram. FIG. 5 is a detailed view for connecting the heater. FIG. 6 shows another method for providing a heater. FIG. 7 shows the prior art.

  FIG. 1 shows a sensor that can be used for radiation detection, preferably in the infrared wavelength range. The incident radiation detected can be primarily infrared radiation with a wavelength greater than 800 nm. The maximum sensitivity can be between 800 nm and 15 μm.

  FIG. 1 shows the sensor 10 and the heater 15 in a schematic perspective view. In this embodiment, the sensor 10 is an infrared sensor for receiving and detecting infrared (IR) radiation. This sensor can be used for temperature measurement or presence detection. The sensor 10 having the illustrated structure includes a housing composed of a base member 12 and a cap 11, and the cap 11 has a radiation incident window 13 that allows IR radiation to enter from the outside to the inside of the sensor housing. The window 13 may have focusing characteristics and may be or include a lens, a Fresnel lens, a transfer plate, a collector mirror, and the like. The material of the window 13 may be some kind of glass, resin, or other material that can transmit infrared light (such as silicon).

  The sensor may have a plurality of contact wires or contact terminals 14 that connect the sensor to an external circuit to supply energy to the sensor and to supply signals to and from the sensor. The input and output of the signal may be analog or digital, and in the case of digital, it may be parallel or serial. The internal structure of the sensor in a particular embodiment is shown in FIGS. 3 and 6 and will be described later.

  Reference numeral 15 denotes a sensor heater. In the illustrated embodiment, the heater can be manufactured separately from the sensor and can be attached to the sensor as a unit. In the illustrated embodiment, the heater is attachable to the bottom surface of the sensor 10 and may be mechanically secured to the sensor 10 with an adhesive or resin. The adhesive or resin preferably has relatively good thermal conductivity in order to establish not only mechanical contact but also good thermal contact. In general, the heater 15 is at least partially on its surface to the surface or surface portion of the sensor 10 so that a close condition is established to establish a good thermal connection between the heater 15 and the sensor 10. Indicate suitable shape.

  FIG. 2 shows a more detailed schematic diagram of the heater 15. The heater 15 includes a substrate 20 on which a conductive heating structure 21 is formed. The heating structure 21 may have the shape of an elongated conductor having a predetermined (specific) resistance for converting electric power or current into heat. The conductor 21 can snake across the entire surface of the substrate 15 in the desired form to spread over the surface portion where heating is desired.

  The heater 15 is not essential, but may include a circuit 22 suitable for controlling the current flowing through the heating structure 21. FIG. 2 shows an embodiment in which a single heating structure 21 is provided between the connecting end points. The heating structure 21 receives power so that current flows through the heating structure 21. The consumed power is converted to heating power Hp according to Hp = V × I (where V is the voltage drop along the heating structure and I is the flowing current). Therefore, when the heater 15 is in contact with the sensor 10, the sensor is heated by a part of the calorific value generated in the heater 15.

  The outer shape of the heater substrate 20 may match the outer shape of the mounting surface of the sensor 10 or may be smaller than the outer shape. In the illustrated example, the sensor base plate 12 may be round or circular, and the heater substrate 20 has a shape that matches the sensor base plate 12, in particular its diameter D is the same as or equal to the diameter of the sensor base plate 12. The shape may be smaller than that.

  The power to the heating structure 21 can be supplied in such a way that at least one terminal of the heating structure 21 is directly connected to the external connection terminal 14 of the sensor 10. FIG. 2 a shows an embodiment in which the base plate 20 of the heater has a through hole 29 through which the external connection wiring 14 of the sensor can pass. Therefore, the arrangement pattern of the holes 29 on the heater substrate 20 corresponds to the arrangement pattern of the connection wiring 14 of the sensor. The heater substrate 20 does not necessarily have to extend over all the connection wirings 14 or opposite to all the connection wirings 14. Of course, the hole 29 is provided only for the position of the terminal wiring 14 covered by the substrate 20. Then, at least one end of the heating structure 21 can be connected to the external terminal 14 of the sensor 10.

  FIG. 2b shows another design. The substrate 20 is formed so as to be close to some or all of the external terminal wirings 14 of the sensor 10. “Near” in this context may mean a distance of less than 1 mm, preferably less than 0.5 mm, or less than or less than 50% of the cross-sectional dimension (eg, diameter) of line. As a result, the heating structure 21 can contact at least one external terminal wire 14 of the sensor 10. FIG. 2b further shows an embodiment in which one or more heating structures 21 are provided. More precisely, the plurality of wirings 21a, 21b, and 21c are connected in parallel and share at least one common connection point. These wirings may share connection points at both ends. FIG. 2b further shows an embodiment in which only one of the wires (21b) is connected to a control circuit 22 for controlling the flowing current. However, similarly, some or all of the wirings 21a, 21b, and 21c may be connected to the control circuit 22, or none of the wirings may be connected.

  The broken line in FIG. 2b shows the outer shape of the surface (base plate 12 in the illustrated example) of the sensor 10 to which the heater 15 is to be attached. The outer shape of the heater substrate 20 remains within the outer shape of the sensor 10 to which the heater is to be attached. In the embodiment of FIG. 2 b, the outer shape of the heater substrate 20 having a recess or notch 28 formed according to the position of the external terminal wire 14 of the sensor 10 is shown instead of the through hole 29. An embodiment in which the through hole 29 of FIG. 2 a is used for some external connection wirings 14 and the recesses 28 of FIG. 2 b are used for other external connection wirings 14 is also possible.

  The heating structure 21 may be a printed conductive line formed, for example, from a conductive paste and may constitute an elongated conductor having a desired overall resistance. The heating structure 21 can be formed by a known process. The heating structure may comprise one or more calibration parts for adjusting its characteristics, in particular the resistance, after the initial manufacture. The adjustment can be made, for example, by laser trimming to burn out the conductive portion to increase the resistance of the heating structure.

  FIG. 3 shows a cross-sectional view of the sensor 10 equipped with the heater 15. Inside the sensor housing are detectors 31-33 that convert incident infrared radiation into electrical signals. The detection unit may include a substrate 31. The substrate 31 has a frame shape, that is, a shape surrounding the recess or the through hole 38. The substrate 31 can comprise or be formed from silicon or a similar material. The film 32 may straddle over the recess 38 or the opening of the substrate 31 and support the actual sensor element 33. Note that the drawings are not to scale. The outer diameter of the sensor cap 11 may be 3 to 8 mm. The width direction dimensions of the detection units 31 to 33 in FIG. 3 may be 1 mm to 3 mm.

  An electrical signal from the sensor element 33 is transmitted via a bonding contact 36 to an internal circuit 35 of the sensor that can be connected to the external terminal 14 and / or external terminal wiring of the sensor. The sensor 10 further includes a temperature sensor 34 that senses the internal temperature of the sensor, and further provides a temperature sensor 34 for providing an associated signal to either the external terminal 14 and / or the internal circuit 35 for later use. You may prepare.

  In FIG. 3, the heater 15 is attached to the outer surface of the bottom surface of the sensor 10, that is, the lower surface of the base plate 12 of the sensor housing. The heating structure 21 is provided on the surface facing the sensor surface so as to be mechanically protected by the heater substrate 20. Since the heater substrate 20 also provides some kind of thermal separation, the amount of heat generated diffuses more efficiently into the sensor 10 without diffusing into the atmosphere of the sensor 10. Alternatively, the heater structure 21 may be disposed on the lower surface of the heater substrate 20 such that the resistance of the heater is electrically isolated from the sensor housing. Alternatively, the heater structure 21 may be disposed on the lower surface of the base plate 12 of the housing.

  Optionally, in addition to the base plate 12, the sensor may include an internal substrate 37 such as a circuit board that supports a part or all of the mounted components (31 to 36) inside the sensor. However, in order to improve the flow of heat from the heater 15 toward the inside of the sensor 10, a structure without an additional internal substrate 37 in addition to the base plate 12 of the sensor may be preferable. In particular, the detection units 31 to 33 are directly mounted on the base plate 12 of the sensor. Components in the sensor housing can be internally connected on the base plate 12 or the internal substrate 37 of the housing by bonding wiring and / or by printed wiring.

  Instead of being attached to the outer surface of the sensor 10, the heater 15 may be attached to the inner surface of the sensor 10 (for example, the upper surface of the base plate 12) or the lower surface or upper surface of the internal substrate 37. In this case, the heater 15 does not necessarily have the substrate 20. Alternatively, the base plate 12 or the internal substrate 37 of the sensor 10 can be substituted for the heater substrate 20. Such an embodiment is particularly suitable for an SMD sensor or the like that cannot be reached when the heater 15 is attached to the outer surface because the lower surface is designed to directly contact an external structure such as a printed circuit board. However, as in the above-described embodiment, the plate or the substrate functioning as the heater substrate 20 may have the through hole 29 and / or the notch 28 through which the external contact can pass or pass. As described above, the heating structure 21 is directly connected to at least one of the external terminals 14 which can be terminal wirings as shown in FIG. 3 or at least one of the external terminals 14 which can be a contact area or contact bump of the SMD. Can be done.

  FIG. 3 shows a sensor having one sensing element 31-33. However, a plurality of sensing elements may be provided, preferably in a regular arrangement, to obtain spatial resolution by sensing focused incident radiation. The housing may be a TO housing such as TO5 or TO22.

  FIG. 4 shows a schematic electrical circuit of the entire sensor 10 including the heater 15. Reference numeral 33 denotes an actual sensor element that converts radiation into an electrical signal. Reference numeral 35 denotes an internal circuit of the sensor 10 that can be provided in the sensor 10. This internal circuit is one of signal shaping, signal conversion (analog-digital), characteristic adaptation, impedance conversion, multiplexing among multiple sensor elements, provision of internal settings, communication control, data storage, heating control, etc. It can have more than one function. An internal circuit may be connected to each of the one or more external terminals 14. If an internal circuit is provided, this internal circuit 35 may also receive a signal from the internal temperature 34.

  Accordingly, the external terminal 14 exchanges energy and signals with the internal sensor. At least one of the external terminals 14 may be directly connected to the sensor element 33. Box 20 in FIG. 4 represents the substrate of heater 15. The substrate 15 has a heating structure 21 shown as a single elongated conductor. In the illustrated example, the heating structure 21 is connected to the external terminal 14 of the sensor at both ends thereof.

  Furthermore, a control circuit 22 that can control the current flowing through the heating structure 21 is provided. Control can be performed to maintain a target temperature or target temperature range. The control can be performed according to a temperature sensor 42 that can be provided on the heating structure 20. This sensor can be connected to the external terminal 14 of the sensor at one terminal. Another terminal of the sensor 42 may be connected to the control circuit 22 of the heater 15. This provides a feedback structure in which the temperature information of the temperature generated by the heating structure 21 is fed back to the control circuit 22 via the sensor 42. However, instead of the feedback structure, control without using feedback can be performed.

  Instead of having the sensor 42, the heater 15 may receive a signal from the temperature sensor 34 inside the sensor 10, as indicated by the dashed line 41. In this connection, one or more of the external terminals 14 of the sensor 10 may be provided only for the purpose of contacting the external heater 15. This option is illustrated in FIG. 4 by a terminal 14a that does not cross the heater 15. Control of the amount of heat generation and the current flowing through the heating structure can also be performed by the internal circuit 35 of the sensor 10. In that case, the heater 15 may actually have only the heating structure 21 connected to external terminals (one of these external terminals being for example ground or supply voltage). Then, the internal circuit 35 of the sensor can execute current control.

  The maximum operating voltage of the heater is less than 20V and can be a normal battery voltage, such as a multiple of 9V or 1.5V. The controller may control the effective voltage applied across the terminals of the heater to be the same as or lower than the maximum operating voltage. The control may include pulse width modulation or may be pulse width modulation.

  FIG. 5 shows an embodiment of how the external terminal 14 and the heating structure 21 of the heater 15 are brought into contact. This detailed view shows a vertical sectional view cut at a through hole portion or a recessed portion of the heater substrate 20 indicated by reference numerals 28 and 29 in FIG. A vertical wall of the through hole 29 or the recess 28 is covered with a metal coating 51. The terminal 14 may be soldered to the metal coating 51 or may contact the metal coating by other suitable means such as, for example, mechanical pressure. Reference numeral 52 represents a soldered connection between the metal coating 51 of the hole 29 or the recess 28 and the external terminal 14. The metal coating 51 is in electrical contact with the electrical components of the heater 15, particularly the heating structure 21 or other wiring.

  The substrate 20 of the heater 15 may be a rigid substrate. This substrate can be formed from ceramics, in particular alumina ceramics. The substrate may have a thickness of less than 1 mm, preferably less than 0.5 mm. In another embodiment, the substrate is or may be a flexible material having an appropriate shape and stiffness, such as a plastic sheet or membrane, or a resin sheet or membrane (eg, Mylar®). A flexible material may be included.

  FIG. 6 shows still another embodiment in which a heater 15 is provided. The substrate 31 of the detectors 31 to 33 acts as the substrate 20 of the heater 15. For example, the external terminal 14 of the sensor 10 and / or the internal circuit 35 of the sensor 10 or the dedicated control circuit 22 of the heater 15 is provided on the bottom surface. Has a heating structure 21 connected to the. The detection units 31 to 33 may be directly provided on the base plate 12 or the intermediate substrate 37 of the sensor 10.

  The wiring pattern of the heating structure 21 in the embodiment of FIG. 6 may be a spiral that travels around the recess 38 surrounded by the substrate 31. Such a helix has two terminals for power supply. Instead of the spiral, a parallel loop electrically connected to each other in parallel may be provided. Instead of being attached to the bottom surface of the substrate 31 of the detection unit, the heating structure 21 may be attached to another surface of the substrate 31 of the detection unit, such as an outer side wall or an inner side wall.

  As described above, the sensor element 33 may be a pyroelectric element, a bolometer, or a thermopile. The sensor element includes a “hot” contact 33a held above the orifice 38 on the membrane 32 and can be positioned on the substrate 31 in intimate thermal contact with the substrate 31 (as shown in FIG. 6). Alternatively, a cold contact 33b that can be held above the recess 38 may be provided.

  In the detection method, the sensor heater 15 is preferably controlled so that the temperature of a part of the sensor 10 reaches a predetermined target temperature or falls within a target temperature range before an actual measurement value is taken. May be included. The target temperature or target temperature range may be selected to match or include the predicted temperature of the measurement object emitting infrared radiation. For example, in the use of a thermometer for humans, the predicted temperature is around 35 ° C. for an ear thermometer. In this case, the target temperature can be 35 ° C. or a temperature range around (± 0.5 ° C., ± 1 ° C.). This minimizes temperature drift because the sensor (or at least the relevant part) is already at the temperature of the new environment (eg, the human ear canal) and the sensor is not affected by changes in ambient temperature. It can be suppressed.

  In another embodiment, for example, it is desirable to maintain the temperature at a value that is lower or lower than the predicted temperature by a predetermined amount (first difference temperature) (eg, at least 3-7 ° C. lower than the predicted temperature). There is. In this case, the amount of heat generation is reduced, the time required to heat the sensor 10 by the heater 15 after the switch is turned on is shortened, and the sensitivity is increased. If so, the goal of further control may be to maintain a temperature that is a predetermined amount higher (second differential temperature, eg 3-7 ° C.) than the current ambient temperature (usually room temperature for thermometer applications). For example, the control target may be to bring the temperature of the relevant sensor part 7 ° C. above the current equilibrium temperature. In that case, when the thermometer is inserted into the ear canal, it takes a predetermined time for the temperature rise to exceed the already established rise. Because the measurement is completed within this time, the detector should not be affected by temperature changes even if it is not completely heated to the expected temperature of the measurement target (in the selected example, the ear canal). become.

  In order to minimize the heating effects in the sensor due to undesired external causes, the sensor may be provided with thermal insulation means (not shown in any figure) on the outside and / or inside. Insulation means may be a cover of insulation, preferably one that conforms to, surrounds or covers a significant portion of the sensor surface, such as the outer periphery of the sensor 10 as shown in FIG. It may be a cylindrical cover that covers a part. Thereby, since the heat insulation of the sensor with respect to the atmosphere is improved, the time during which the measurement can be performed before the external temperature difference reaches the internal sensor becomes long.

  Thermometers with the sensors described above and / or thermometers using the method described above are also part of the present invention. It comprises an ear thermometer comprising an outer housing, the sensor, a control circuit, preferably user input means such as one or more switches, and a display and / or another suitable analog or digital signal output. It may be.

  In the specification and the appended claims, identical reference numbers indicate identical components. The features described herein are considered to be combinable with one another without explicit description, unless excluded for technical reasons. Device features are recognized to also disclose the features of the method implemented by the device features, and vice versa.

Claims (22)

A heater (15) for the sensor (10),
A substrate (20);
A conductive heating structure (21) on the substrate (20);
One or more connections (28, 29) for electrically connecting the heating structure (21) to one or more outer terminals (14) of the sensor (10), a heater (15) .   The sensor (10) is configured to be heated to a predetermined temperature or temperature range that may be a predetermined amount that is lower than an expected temperature of the radiation source and / or may be a predetermined amount that is higher than an expected ambient temperature of the sensor. The heater (15) according to claim 1.   The heater (15) according to claim 1 or 2, comprising a control circuit (22) for controlling the temperature of the heater (15).   The heater (15) of claim 3, comprising a circuit terminal configured to receive a temperature signal from within the sensor (10) and / or comprising a temperature sensor (42).   The heater (15) according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the conductive structure (21) is an electric resistance heater having a constant resistance with respect to temperature or a resistance that increases with a temperature rise. .   The heater (10) according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the conductive structure (21) comprises a printing structure.   Sensor (10) according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the conductive structure comprises a trimmable structure, preferably a laser trimmable structure.   The said board | substrate (20) is provided with one or more holes (29) each comprised so that the external terminal (14) of the said sensor (10) may be accommodated, The any one of Claims 1-7. Heater (15).   The heater (15) of claim 8, wherein an inner wall of the one or more holes (29) comprises a metallization (51) connected to circuit elements and / or the conductive structure on the substrate. A heater (15) for a sensor (10) that can be formed according to any one of claims 1-9,
The heater is
A substrate (20);
A conductive heating structure (21) on the substrate (20);
One or more connections (28) for electrically connecting the heating structure (21),
The substrate (20) is a rigid body and may comprise a ceramic, preferably an alumina ceramic, or a non-rigid body and may comprise a thin film, preferably a Mylar film.   The substrate (20) preferably has a flat plate shape with a thickness of less than 1 mm, more preferably less than 0.5 mm, and is adhered to the outer or inner surface of the sensor (10) with an adhesive. The heater (15) according to any one of claims 1 to 10, configured as described above.   The heater (15) according to any one of claims 1 to 11, wherein the substrate is a substrate (31) or a film (32) of a detection unit (31 to 33). Detectors (31-33) that generate electrical signals in response to incident radiation;
A housing (11-13) for housing the detection unit, wherein a radiation window allows radiation to enter the housing (11-13) and reach the detection unit (31-33). A housing (11-13) having (13);
A radiation sensor (10) comprising an electric heater (15) for heating the sensor (10),
The heater (15) is attached to a wall portion of the casing (11 to 13) or the detection unit (31 to 33) and is thermally connected to be at least one outer terminal (14) of the sensor (10). ) A radiation sensor (10) electrically connected to).   The sensor (10) according to claim 13, wherein the heater (15) is attached to a substrate (31) of the detector (31-33).   15. Sensor (10) according to claim 13 or 14, wherein the heater (15) comprises a rigid substrate (20), preferably comprising ceramics, more preferably alumina ceramics.   The sensor (10) according to any one of claims 13 to 15, wherein at least one electrical terminal of the heater (15) is electrically connected directly to an external terminal (14) of the sensor (10). .   The sensor (10) according to any one of claims 13 to 16, wherein the heater is formed according to any one of claims 1 to 11.   18. The device according to claim 13, wherein the heater is provided as a surface-mount device, and the heater is provided between a mounting surface of the sensor and the detection unit (31 to 33) in a housing of the sensor. Sensor (10) according to A radiation sensor (10) that can be formed according to any one of claims 13-18, comprising:
Detectors (31-33) that generate electrical signals in response to incident radiation;
A housing (11-13) that houses the detector, a radiation window (13) that allows radiation to enter the housing (11-13) and reach the detector (33). ) (11-13) having
An electric heater (15) for heating the sensor (10),
A radiation sensor (10), wherein the heater is formed according to any one of claims 1-12.   The heater substrate (20) is a base plate (12) of the sensor casing (11-13), an intermediate substrate (37) of the sensor, or a substrate (31) of the detection unit (31-33). Sensor (10) according to claim 19.   21. Sensor (10) according to any one of claims 13 to 20, formed as a surface mount device and having the heater (15) inside the housing. A method for detecting radiation from an object,
Preferably pre-heating a sensor formed according to any one of claims 13 to 21 of the sensor, preferably with a heater formed according to any one of claims 1 to 12 of the heater;
The target temperature of the preheating is
A temperature or temperature range that is lower than the predicted temperature of the object by a specific first difference temperature, and / or
A method or temperature range that is higher by a certain second differential temperature than the ambient temperature before heating.

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